Dark Spirit
by GhostAnn
Summary: Dark spirit... what is it about? well read and you may find out. When Danny leaves his earthly dutys some one has to take over... but who?
1. Prolog: Nightmare

**Summery**: Who is Dark Spirit? You won't have to guess twice. Danny is killed in a battle... and it leaves Amity Park vulnerable, in dying his secret is reviled, and The Phantom Team decides that to keep Danny's efforts form dying in vain that they should take up his place, but how? More importantly who? Follow, Jazz, Sam, Tucker, Valerie, Maddie and Jack Fenton, and the rest of the DP characters through this time of angst and heart brake...

Rated T:  
_Character Death  
Adult language in future chapters  
Violence_

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing! If you don't believe me... then your silly! LOL

**Dark Spirit**

_by: GhostAnn_

Prolog: Nightmare

He stepped out into the crowd, and it seamed the world fell silent. He looked so scared as he made his way to the coffin... and her eyes stung from tears cried and tears coming. He paused, frowning into the open casket, at the innocent face of the boys body... his body... the humor still lingering in its unmoving features... He sighed then looked toward her and her heart stopped. "D-Danny?" She choked.

He gave a soft smile and walked over to her giving her a hug. She returned it, then suddenly the world faded to black as everyone vanished and he gasped pulling away quickly. His green eyes flashing blue, a look of horror and betrayal on his face as he looked down where his hands gripped his stomach and red blood gushed through his fingers. "Sam?" He gasped.

The girl looked at her bloody hands a knife gripped tight in them, "Oh God!" She dropped it taking a step back. "Danny!" He reached toward her, fear in his eyes as he slowly vanished from view...

Suddenly red eyes flashed in the darkness. "This is all your fault! If it weren't for you, he would still be alive!"

"NO!" The girl cried, "I- no- Danny- oh God, Danny!" She looked at her trembling red stained hands.

"Sam!"  
"What?"

"Samantha!"  
"What do you want form me?"  
"Sam!"

"Sam! Hunny! Wake up! Its just a nightmare!" Sam woke screaming as her mother shook her lightly. "Sam!"  
"M-mom?"  
"Oh- Samantha! I'm so sorry!" Her mother hugged her tight.

Tears fell down Sam's face as she hugged her mother back. "I- I miss-

"Shhh." Mrs. Manson cooed. "It's okay Sammy... I know..."

Sam sniffled. "I'm sorry... " She said. "I'm sorry I'm so weak..."

"No." Mrs. Manson said a strength to her voice. "Sweetie, your strong- so strong..."

Sam hugged her mom tighter, crying uncontrollably. "I miss him mom!"

"I know... we all do..."  
"Even you?"  
"Even me..." But Mrs. Manson didn't provide an explanation as she stood and headed for the door. "Get back to sleep sweet heart."

Sam nodded, but as her mom shut the door a violet mist left her mouth. "Danny... you really were my hero..."

-----------------------------------

**_Explanation? Well its coming... There is character death but because I don't want you to get the wrong idea Danny will be in this story... oh shoot... I just gave away the surprise! Well you'll know better by the end of the first chapter... this story dose get a bit angsty... maybe a lot... angst..._**

_**Trust me... This will be fun! Mwhahaha! At least for me! **_


	2. Chapter 1: How it ended

**Author's notes:** Okay, this story was inspired by my series, "We Finally Caught Him Inviso-Bill."

It's really dark in the beginning, kind of gruesome, but it gets better… just to let you know. The first few chapters may not be okay for the highly sensitive readers…

Well! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Danny Phantom or any related characters; I do, however, own this particular story and any stealing of it will not be accepted.

**Dark Spirit**

_Chapter One_: How it ended…

"Leave it to the Box Ghost to ruin a perfectly normal day," Tucker said with a sigh as he followed Sam behind the Nasty Burger where Danny was battling a ghost.  
"Yeah," Sam said. "Talk about a lack of originality."  
Tucker smirked at her words only to soar back with a muffled "oof" after a randomly flying box collided with him seconds later.  
After clawing through cardboard and plastic, Sam took the boy's hand and yanked him to his feet with a burst of laughter.  
"Shut up!" He whined as they continued their run down the alley. Sam kept laughing and Tucker glared at her angrily.  
"Sorry! Sorry!" She stifled her laughter.

"Couldn't you take a vacation or something?" Danny asked irritably.  
"Iam the Box Ghost!" The said ghost droned. "Fear me and my cubicles of doom, for we will _not_ take this vacation of which you speak!"  
Danny sighed rolling his eyes. He grabbed the thermos and let out a laugh. "Sorry, we insist you go."  
"NO!" The box ghost yelled as he was sucked into the thermos. "You can't hold me in that cylindrical container of doom!"  
His cries stopped as Danny capped the thermos and turned to his friends, triumphant.  
"Got him," he said, shaking the thermos lightly.  
"Wh-why did we run after you then?" Tucker panted, bending over for air.  
Sam rolled her eyes. Tucker could be so lazy.  
She crossed her arms and said, "Good, Danny, now let's get out of here before –"  
"There he is Maddie!" Jack Fenton yelled, running around the opposite corner, a heavy Fenton Bazooka hefted over his shoulder. Maddie Fenton had a glowing bow staff, and looked ready to dominate.  
"Oh no!" Danny stiffened, turning to see his parents just a few feet behind him.  
"Not good!" Tucker cried. "Get out of here man!"  
That was all it took before Danny was airborne, shooting over the roof of the Nasty Burger, hoping for a clear get away…only to run into his self-proclaimed nemesis, the red hunter: Valerie Grey.  
"Let me through!" Danny said, panicking.  
"Not on _my_ life," she hissed, guns ready to fire. It was painfully obvious he wasn't going to get out of this without a fight. He dodged each blast clumsily as he attempted to distract her with his own attacks.  
If he could just stun her for an instant he might be able to make an escape.  
While dodging one blast, he was hit by another in the stomach, sending him flying.  
He spun around, stopping upside down and firing at the huntress. She made a near ninety degree curve to dodge it. Seeing his chance, Danny shot after her and took hold of the tail of her jet-sled. With a grunt, he shifted in the air and sent her spinning.  
Valerie collided into a pole with a painful crack and Danny winced. She wasn't going to let him live that one down either.  
Seeing she'd live, Danny turned to run only to get hit in the back, sending him flying into a wall.

Jack shot at the two fighters in the air, the mysterious red hunter and Inviso-Bill, missing completely.  
"Jack," Maddie placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let me try."  
Jack fronwed at her and then smiled, proud. "Okay!"  
Maddie took the gun and put the scope on Phantom. Jack watched excitedly silently cheering her on. "Man, that's hot!"  
Maddie smiled as she tightened her finger around the trigger.

A dodge here, a punch there - Phantom and Valerie's battle continued and the red hunter offered no mercy to her ghostly adversary.  
Suddenly the two warriors halted, unintentionally stopping at the same time to nurse their wounds. Valerie panted, glaring at the ghost boy before her. She wished he'd just give in already.  
"You're going down Phantom!" She told him. "You tried to wipe me out now I'm gonna do you in!"  
Valerie fired.

Maddie pulled the trigger.  
"BEEP!"  
The gun shut down like a car out of gas. Maddie lowered her weapon and glanced at the ammo measure - it was red. Empty. Jack had used it all in his over excitement. Sighing, she lowered it and looked to the battle above. A wave of happiness fell over her as an idea hit. This was the perfect chance to test the Fenton Zapper!  
She looked up, seeing the two suddenly stop, apparently tired from their battle. This would be their perfect time to strike!  
"Jack! Get the Fenton Zapper out of the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle!"  
"Right!" The man cheered as her ran around to the other side of the Nasty Burger.  
Maddie knew this was a chance to stop Phantom and his reign of terror.

"For the last time!" Danny yelled, yelping as he dodged the huntress's latest blast. "I never tried to hurt you!"  
"Yeah? And I'm an amateur!"  
"You _are_!"

They were on the move again!  
"Hurry, Jack!"  
Phantom dodged the red hunter's blast, pausing as if in argument before he dropped down into a maneuver the hunter couldn't possibly follow, and blasted her craft from behind.  
The jet-sled wobbled for a second but stayed in the air. Maddie wondered what kind technology was in such a piece of equipment.  
"Here!"  
Jack, panting for air, handed her the gun.  
It was light and small, more like a hand gun than any of their other inventions. It also lacked the round shape of the Fenton's usual design. It was square, almost toy like with its white coat, but it shone with a new and powerful clarity.  
Smiling, Maddie held it up. It was small, yes, but its range was long. Pressing a button, a scope popped out and she used it, following Phantom's every frantic movement. Finally, he paused - just a second - but that's all she needed.

_**ZAP!**_

"Got him!" Maddie cheered as the ghost boy's form plummeted toward the earth. "Come on, Jack!"  
"Aww…More running?" He moaned as he followed after her. "Wait! We caught him? Yes!" His speed increased and his step held an excited spring now.

"This is it Phantom!" Valerie pointed the barrel of her gun right between the ghost's eyes, and he stared back bravery and fear mixed in his eerie green eyes.  
Her finger tightened around the trigger slowly. He was hit though, before she had a chance to shoot, and he screamed, falling to the ground, as if he'd lost his wings.  
Valerie stared in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. Phantom was… falling?  
She'd dreamed of it, but she never thought it could happen like this. Never though it would happen so fast. She should be cheering, the defeat of Phantom! But her stomach was knotted with emotion and her body shivered with fear.  
Why?  
Why couldn't she enjoy this?

Pain.  
It all washed over him with a new definition. One moment he was staring down Valerie's gun - now he didn't know where he was or what was happing. He felt a small jolt, like a needle against frozen skin, never realizing that he'd hit the ground. Slowly, he watched his spinning world fade and felt his body beginning to go numb.  
The sensation didn't last long as he instantly woke from his shock, pain running through him, growing in strength as the seconds passed.  
At that moment all he wanted was for the pain to stop.

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker screamed as they saw him hit the ground. The two ran toward their friend.  
The dust still settling when they reached him.  
At first, they thought he wasn't moving. Then Danny gasped, letting out a horrible scream.  
"Danny!"  
Sam kneeled by him, stroking his white hair out of his face. He was twitching, his muscles spasming. His face was already wet with tears.  
"Danny…" she whispered, her own tears falling. "Please… Danny, no."  
The boy's green eyes shot open and he gasped for air, stilling a second, his screams echoing away. He looked to her, pain washing over his face. "S – s -" He wasn't able to talk as he groaned, kicking his feet and throwing his shoulders back in pain. "SAM!"  
Valerie landed a good ten feet away, apparently afraid to come any closer. Her clear visor did nothing to hide her face. She looked on the brink of puking. But Sam wasn't paying attention to her or anything else, not even the approaching forms of Danny's parents.  
Danny needed her, and she didn't know what to do!  
"Sam! Tucker!" Maddie yelled. "Get away from there! He's dangerous!"  
Sam couldn't speak, she could barely breathe. Danny was clawing at the ground, twitching again as the affects of the Zapper took their toll on his body.  
Tucker stood, pale and mumbling under his breath. He didn't know what to do "DANNY!" Sam yelled suddenly as the spasms' became seizure like. Sam grabbed him and hugged him, scared to death. She didn't want to lose him! Suddenly Sam's fist balled around Danny's suit and she looked up to Valerie, her eyes blazing. "What did you do?"  
"I – I –" Valerie stuttered, cringing at the mournful sounds that continued to come from Danny. "I didn't do anything. Something hit him from the ground."

Again Danny stilled, his eyes closed, and there was a bright flash.  
"NO!" Sam cried, falling protectively over him. Tucker joined her, covering his friend, but they couldn't hide the blue rings that spread, signaling Danny's change.

"Sam!" Maddie ran over and grabbed Tuckers arm. "Tucker! I said-"  
She stopped as she pulled the boy up when it revealed not Phantom, but her son, Danny. "No." She whispered, horrified. Her gun dropped to the ground.  
He was still now, flinching lightly, but he was quiet, obviously in bad shape.  
"Danny?" the hunter whispered before he turned, running from the scene.  
"How could-?" Jack said, looking scared and confused. "Where's Phantom? Danny? What happened?"  
"He is," Tucker swallowed. "Danny is Phantom."  
Danny flinched harshly and began to scream, breaking Maddie out of her shocked state. "Danny! Oh God! Jack! Get the RV!"  
Jack nodded, a grim look on his face, and headed for the vehicle.  
Maddie kneeled by her son's side and gently took him in her arms. Sam let him go reluctantly. Why should she trust the one who shot him, Maddie wondered?  
Soon the sound of screeching tires announced Jacks arrival with the RV. It felt like an eternity but it was only minutes before they were in the RV, rushing down the road.

"Damn it…" Maddie swore as her trembling fingers dropped the device she was working with. It was the Fenton Spectral Scanner, and she hoped it would tell her what the Zapper had done to her son. She picked it up and, fumbling slightly, snapped it open.

She moved it over Danny slowly; the boy was gripping the seat beneath him, his breathing harsh.  
"I'm so sorry," Maddie whispered closing the Spectral Scanner and setting it aside to decode the information gathered.  
Danny moaned fighting a scream. "M-m-"  
"Shh." She wisped, trying to stop his attempts to talk. She placed a wet cloth on his head and the scanner beeped.  
She grabbed it looking at the screen on its side- it showed a trail of seemingly unreadable data- but Maddie understood every symbol.  
"Well, the Fenton Zapper works," her voice dripped with hatred and disdain. "He's falling apart from the inside!"  
"What?" Sam cried. "You have to help him! Make it stop!"  
"I'm trying!" Maddie said as she opened the guts of the Zapper, using a small laser and tweezers to melt and move wires.  
"What are you doing?" Tucker asked; everyone wanted to help.  
"Recalibrating the Zapper. It's made to tear the ghost up from the inside, reducing it to ectoplasom." Tucker and Sam's faces paled at this announcement. "I have to stop it!" She bit her lip, worry clouding her eyes. "There!"  
She closed the gun up and zapped her son again. He gripped the seat hard then his whole body collapsed, relaxing, as his fingers released the fabric of the seat.  
"Did it- Did it work?" Tucker asked hopefully.  
Maddie grabbed the specter scanner and ran it over Danny once more. She gripped it watching the screen as she waited. It beeped and she watched it her eyes softening slightly with hopeful relief.  
"It stopped," She said with a sigh, "but he's in really bad shape. I hope we're not too late."  
That last statement fell on the RV with a strong weight, leaving it in a tense silence.

Minutes passed and Maddie had taken Danny's hand in hers, holding it tight. Tucker sat in his seat fiddling with his fingers, hoping to get Danny help soon. Sam turned to staring blankly out the window, nothing but worried vives emitting from her. Jack was driving, but his thoughts were less on the road and more on his son, he couldn't wrap his head around it.

A cough came from the boy, suddenly breaking the silence. The three looked to him as his blue eyes slowly opened. He looked around slowly and blinked at Maddie.  
"Mom?" His voice was raspy from screaming.  
"Shh. Danny rest." She said fighting renewed tears. He looked so hurt, so weak, and it was her fault.  
He took a breath, his face blank in thought for a moment. "You know, don't you," He looked at her his eyes sad. "I- I'm sorry."  
"Oh, sweetie, for what?"  
"F-for not telling - " he gasped, out of breath. "Telling you. For letting you down."  
Maddie gripped his hand tight, holding back sobs, as she kissed her son's face. "God, Danny, you never let me down. I'm so proud of you."  
"You just hang in there, man," Tucker said. "You'll be fighting ghosts again in no time."  
Danny coughed. "Tucker stop. Don't make m-me laugh, it hurts too much."  
"I'm sorry!" Maddie cried.  
"For what?" Danny whispered his blue eyes smiling at her even through the pain; it made her heart ache with guilt.  
"This is all my fault!" She cried. "I- I _shot_ you." Danny's face went cold with shock. "I'm sorry…"  
All was silent.  
Danny laughed bitterly.  
"Well, its not your fault. You were doing your job." But Maddie could hear the hurt in his voice. "Just- just don't cry. Please. Mom, guys?" He looked to his friends smiling softly.  
Maddie closed her eyes and tried to smile like she was feeling no pain.  
"I promise, none of us will cry, because you're going to be all better soon," she said. "I promise."  
He frowned, and it became apparent how tired he really was.  
"I know… but… please… just if…"  
His eyes began to close as his energy sputtered out.  
"Danny!" Sam lunged for him, gripping his arm in desperation.  
He looked at her, tired.  
"Wh…?" he couldn't even finish his question.  
"I'm sorry," He blinked at her, confused. "For causing so much trouble. Danny, you can't leave… I need you."  
He smiled as the RV came to a stop and his blue eyes closed. Jack threw the door open and jumped in checking Danny's pulse.  
"We're losing him!" Jack cried, picking up his son and they raced into Fenton Works.

"Danny!"

_Danny…_

_**Author's notes:  
**(goes and hides in a deep dark hole)_


End file.
